Says THR, "By joining the Fox show — and thus developing talent for Universal — the hit-maker would have run into a snag with Sony Music."

The story adds, "The music giant signed Luke to a lucrative label deal in 2011 (his Kemosabe imprint is home to songwriter-turned-solo artist Bonnie Mckee, rapper Juicy J and pop-urban act Becky G, who herself said at last night’s MTV Video Music Awards, ‘I think ["Idol"] is going to happen’ for Luke, but Sony’s competitor, Universal Music Group, holds the exclusive rights to ‘American Idol’ recordings.

"Allowing Luke to spend months of the year judging and nurturing talent then developing said artists for another label makes little business sense for the company that invested so deeply in his own hit-making power. L.A. Reid faced a similar obstacle when he was in the running for the ‘Idol’ gig prior to season 10. It was, in fact, what helped lead the veteran executive to Fox’s other singing competition, ‘X Factor,’ which has a recording partnership with Sony. Reid left after two years on the show."

The THR story also notes: "For Luke’s part, says an insider close to the situation, the hit-maker came to the realization that the commitment would simply demand too much of his time. ‘He really loves his artists and wants to build up the label,’ a source tells THR. … Beyond the label’s current projects, ‘Luke wants to build an entertainment company’ … after a lot of conversations, both Luke and Sony Music CEO Doug Morris came to the mutual agreement that taking Dr. Luke out of the ‘Idol’ running ‘was the best thing for all parties.’"

So who will join the judges table on ‘Idol’? The article speculates: "Among the contenders is Justin Bieber manager Scooter Braun, an eleventh-hour suggestion by [Jennifer] Lopez. The charismatic ex-party promoter and marketing whiz is seemingly open to the idea and has his own label deal with UMG, putting him on the right side of the ‘Idol’ loyalty fence."